THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Karshaka Sangham state joint secretary P Krishna Prasad has said that the Sangham will launch an agitation in protest against the Cabinet decision to cancel the previous V S Achuthanandan Government’s decision to release the land of Kanhirathinal George, a settler farmer from Wayanad, who had been fighting for the last 32 years to get back his land and to collect land tax from him.He told a news conference that the VS Government had issued orders in this regard on April 19, 2007 and November 3, 2007. But the Oommen Chandy Government on January 18 took the decision when the issue came up out of the agenda for consideration before the Cabinet.He alleged that some of the forest officials during the Emergency period in 1975 had conspired to take over the land of George and his brother Jose misleading that the 12 acres of land owned by them were vested forest land. Benoy Viswam, during his tenure as the Forest Minister, had told the Assembly that the land had been taken over under vested forest notification number 4713/1977 on July 8, 1977.The Forest Tribunal and Kerala High Court also had found the land as forest land. But the land notified as forest land by the Forest Department and the 12 acres of land owned by George and Jose were found different and the same information was stated in the Assembly on July 10,2008 by Revenue Minister K P Rajendran.The Wayand District Collector and forest officers jointly conducted the examination and filed the report stating that the land owned by George and the land notified under vested forest notification were different.The Vigilance probe had also found that George’s land had not been notified as forest land. He said the Forest Tribunal and the High Court had delivered the verdict as the real facts had not been submitted before the courts consciously by certain forest officials.He alleged that only fake records were produced in the court by the officials to mislead the government and the court. It was following vigilance report that Revenue Secretary Niveditha P Haran issued orders to collect tax.As the case is pending before the court, George had submitted a petition in the High Court, which is pending for the last three and a half years.Krishna Prasad alleged that the forest officials were exerting pressure on the UDF Government for cancelling the previous government’s order. He asked the Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister to withdraw from the unlawful decision and file an affidavit in the High Court to expedite the release of land to George.
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